Puerto Rico has be part of the United States since 1898. To put this in perspective, five U.S. states were admitted into the Union after that time - namely Oklahoma (1907), New Mexico (1912), Arizona (1912), Alaska (1959) and Hawaii (1959). In fact, Alaska and Hawaii only became U.S. territories in 1912 and 1900 respectively, before achieving statehood. So both of them have been American for less long than Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans are American citizens, pay U.S. taxes, must abide to U.S. federal laws and are eligible for draft. Yet, they cannot vote at US presidential elections, have less representation (no senator or representative at Congress), and have fewer rights. Puerto Ricans receive fewer federal benefits compared to residents of the states. For example, funding for programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is lower on the island. In some cases, Puerto Ricans don't qualify for the same level of assistance that other citizens would receive on the mainland.
on 5th November, when other Americans go voting for their president and members of Congress, Puerto Ricans will vote at a (non-binding) status referendum. They will be asked whether they want to become a fully-fledged state or become independent (with or without free association). A similar referendum was already held in 2020, where 52% of the population voted for statehood. Yet Congress ignored it.
How does Puerto Rico compare to the 50 US states?
It is about the same size as Connecticut. Only Delaware and Rhode Island are smaller. But in terms of population, with its 3.2 million inhabitants, it is similar to Iowa or Utah and is more populous than 20 states.
With a GDP per capita of $37,000 in 2023, Puerto Rico is poorer than any US state, but is comparable to Italy, so it is by no means part of the developing world. Puerto Ricans actually live longer than other Americans with a life expectancy of 81.69 years in 2023 against 78.5 years average for all the USA. Puerto Ricans live over five years longer than people in West Virginia or Mississippi.
Puerto Ricans are American citizens, pay U.S. taxes, must abide to U.S. federal laws and are eligible for draft. Yet, they cannot vote at US presidential elections, have less representation (no senator or representative at Congress), and have fewer rights. Puerto Ricans receive fewer federal benefits compared to residents of the states. For example, funding for programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is lower on the island. In some cases, Puerto Ricans don't qualify for the same level of assistance that other citizens would receive on the mainland.
on 5th November, when other Americans go voting for their president and members of Congress, Puerto Ricans will vote at a (non-binding) status referendum. They will be asked whether they want to become a fully-fledged state or become independent (with or without free association). A similar referendum was already held in 2020, where 52% of the population voted for statehood. Yet Congress ignored it.
How does Puerto Rico compare to the 50 US states?
It is about the same size as Connecticut. Only Delaware and Rhode Island are smaller. But in terms of population, with its 3.2 million inhabitants, it is similar to Iowa or Utah and is more populous than 20 states.
With a GDP per capita of $37,000 in 2023, Puerto Rico is poorer than any US state, but is comparable to Italy, so it is by no means part of the developing world. Puerto Ricans actually live longer than other Americans with a life expectancy of 81.69 years in 2023 against 78.5 years average for all the USA. Puerto Ricans live over five years longer than people in West Virginia or Mississippi.
